Can Common Pleco live with Cardinal Shrimp?
Caution — with care
Why
- Common Pleco is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Cardinal Shrimp colony. It may well be fine — it simply has not been confirmed by a source, and an unverified guess is not worth the colony.
- Common Pleco is much larger than Cardinal Shrimp but is not a shrimp hunter — it may take a shrimplet or clean up a moult. Adults are safe with cover.
Sweet spot: both do well at 79–82°F and pH 7.5–8 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Common Pleco | Cardinal Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 72–82°F | 79–84°F |
| pH | 6–8 | 7.5–8.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 5–20 dGH | 8–18 dGH |
| Adult size | 24" | 0.8" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 150 gal | 15 gal |
Together, plan on at least 150 gallons.
How to make it work
- Keep a large, established shrimp colony in a heavily planted tank with moss and cover so enough survive to breed.
Sort it with: A larger tank
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
Skapelab plans a complete, buildable planted aquarium around your fish — a hand-illustrated layout, the exact plants and hardscape, a placement map, and a full equipment and shopping list. Free.
Design a tank with Common Pleco, Cardinal Shrimp →Everything compatible with Common Pleco · …with Cardinal Shrimp